Messi mastered the game long ago. He’s soccer’s hero, playing with a casual majesty and an effortless strut, rendering defenders as useless as traffic cones on a training ground. He’s that good, has been for well over a decade, and he shows no signs of slowing down just yet.

His latest masterclass began in the 17th minute when he hovered over a dead ball, as Espanyol mobilized to defend a free kick.

Really, they needn’t have bothered, as Messi whipped in a shot that evaded each and every one of them, picking out the top right-hand corner from range.

Watch the free kick goal right here:

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Lionel Messi's free kick gets better with every watch – so here it is from all available angles ????

Eight minutes later, three Espanyol defenders attempted to crowd Messi out of the penalty box but he played like the ball was glued to his boots as he twinkle-toed his way out of trouble and found his teammate Ousmane Dembele with a telepathic cross-box assist.

Demebele took three touches, curled a deft shot around the Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez, and gave Barcelona an easy 2-0 lead.